A 39-storey rental building planned for 28 Main Street Unionville cleared a key step on Tuesday evening, Jan. 20, when members of council at Markham's development services public meeting voted to approve the planning changes and have them finalized at a future council meeting without further notice.
The application from OnePiece (MS) Developments Inc., filed through the Goldberg Group, covers the east parcel of the site in Ward 3. It calls for a mixed-use, purpose-built rental tower with 401 homes, about 611 square metres (6,581 square feet) of ground-floor retail and a new 0.45-hectare (1.11-acre) public park.
From condos to rentals
The building would have 345 parking spaces, or 0.86 per unit: 277 for residents and 68 for visitors. Members of council discussed how the tower's height has come down from earlier versions of the plan while the unit count has gone up, and noted that the current design grew out of an earlier design competition.
Councillors supported the switch from condominiums to rentals, and some suggested a share of the units should be affordable. The applicant said it is exploring funding through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and other federal programs, which may come with affordable housing requirements.
Members were disappointed that a shared access had been dropped. All vehicles will now enter and leave from Bill Crothers Drive, which councillors said could add to congestion. Staff said the transportation analysis and fire consultation show a single access is safe, though it could cause some traffic backups. Details of the north podium facade, the main concern in a written submission from Rockport (Unionville), will be settled at the site plan stage.
The city mailed 35 notices to nearby owners and received two written submissions. Ward 3 Coun. Reid McAlpine moved the motion, seconded by Mayor Frank Scarpitti, and it carried.
Townhouses approved, Steeles plan put off
At the development services committee meeting that morning, members approved official plan and zoning changes for 46 townhouses on an internal private driveway at 136 Markland Street, proposed by Mark-Dev Inc. The committee was pleased that feedback from an earlier public meeting, particularly on outdoor recreation space, had been worked into the plan. Engineering director Frank Clarizio said snow removal on the private road will be the responsibility of the developer or condominium corporation, and that staff did not find a traffic signal at the exit warranted because it is so close to Woodbine Avenue.
The committee also deferred a decision on a high-rise, mixed-use redevelopment of The Shops on Steeles, at 2880 to 2930 Steeles Avenue East in Ward 1. Staff had recommended refusing the official plan, zoning and subdivision applications from SOS GP Inc., but the applicant asked for a chance to respond to staff's comments, and the item was put over to the committee's May 2026 meeting. The staff report also recommended that, if the applications are appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal and approved, the city seek the maximum 15 per cent parkland.
